


Love In Winter

by alafaye



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-27
Updated: 2014-11-27
Packaged: 2018-02-27 05:32:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2680883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Though the world seems to be against them, they will make time for each other and have time together.</p><p>Harry Potter set near Jane Austen's time. Contains period homophobia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love In Winter

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2014 luciusbigbang on LJ, first posted [here](http://luciusbigbang.livejournal.com/70063.html). Thanks to my beta!

The Study was a club whose founding date and origins were unknown; rumours were it hadn't always been in London. Some said it had started somewhere farther north, closer to Hogwarts where an Ancient Greek practice could continue away from the stricter London eyes. Others said it had begun as far as away as Paris. Whatever the origins, it had been in London for the last two hundred years. It had included many infamous men, some who had changed history and some who had only quietly lived their lives. 

Membership was by invitation only. There were no advertisements for it and it was never on any lists. Members could be married or bachelors; be titled or a nobody. There was only one requirement for membership: that the man be an invert. A signed contract and a ward on the building kept the secret from non-members and wider society. Inside was a place where they could relax, with none of the pressures of society and no fear. They could have lovers among each other or simply enjoy the company of similar minds. And as with any other club, there were rooms they could stay in and a kitchen that served six meals a day.

It was busy during the Season, but was quiet now, what with it being November and the Season over. Most of the members had gone back to their country seats or chosen to stay home, where they received fewer callers now. And though Harry liked having company during the Season--most of the members being there regularly to avoid social obligations and ladies--he liked the quiet, too. Preferred it, in fact. It was cold, true, so some company would be nice, but the service was faster, for one, and the quiet easier for him after his adventures during his school days. The best seats were nearly always free and there was always a bed available for him to have if he chose to stay overnight.

His friends have said that it's bad for him, being at the club so often. He's sure they'd say worse if they knew who the members were--or more like, what they were there for--but luckily, it is only that he should socialize more, go out more often. Even though it is turning colder, there is the Opera and Theatre, restaurants, and someone is always in town. Harry goes out, of course he does, but...he can't put his finger on it, but being at the club is comforting. There is no hiding who is he is here, either parts of himself, and the company is good. And the Study's rule of appreciating distance when asked for it--done by simply laying a blue cloth on the left arm of a chair or sofa--makes it all the more comfortable.

As Severus Snape, a Lord through his services to the Wizarding World in both wars and Harry's once professor at Hogwarts, walked in through the door, Harry conceded there were other benefits, as well. He set aside his book and when he caught Severus' eye, he removed the blue cloth from his chair. 

Severus nodded and cupped the elbow of his companion. Harry rang the bell on the table before him and studied the blond man Severus had brought. He knew him, being one of his former class mate's father, but for Lucius Malfoy to be here, even as a guest, could mean only one thing. Lucius Malfoy was an invert, like Severus and Harry themselves. Unlike other men his age, Lucius Malfoy had aged well and healthily. Harry would admit to thinking once or twice about Draco Malfoy in his bed while he touched himself, but while Lucius clearly passed along his hair and face to his son, Lucius Malfoy was more...sturdy than his son. His frame was solid and firm, commanding even, and his eyes were piercing.

Severus smiled at Harry. "Mr. Potter."

Harry beamed. "Severus." At Lucius' raised eyebrow, Harry cleared his throat. "Mr. Snape, sir."

Severus chuckled and looked at Lucius sidelong. "Harry, this is Lucius Malfoy. Lucius, this is Harry Potter, my now and then lover."

Lucius' face relaxed a bit and smirked. "Forgive me. I hadn't known."

"Severus calls me Mr. Potter because he thinks he's being funny," Harry explained.

"For six long years, it was the only name I could call you," Severus argued.

Lucius' eyebrows lift again. "You didn't tell me that you--"

"No," Severus hissed. "Nothing like that. As if I would ever--honestly, the two of you." When he turned his head away, Harry shared an amused grin with Lucius.

Harry pointed to the sofa across from his chair. "Sit, please." 

A man appeared then and took their orders for drinks. "And," Harry glanced over at Severus and Lucius. "Your dinner orders?" He framed it as a question, unsure of how long they are going to be at the club.

"I had brought Lucius here to see the club," Severus admitted. "He should see how good the fare is."

~~~

Later that night, they've retired to the small sitting area of the room Harry's taken as his own. It's scattered with his belongs, being that he's been staying here for a week now. If he could, he'd move in entirely, but as the club serves as an inn for members when they're in town, members are not allowed to live there. Harry will have to go home soon, before the pre-Christmas business rush. He has to put in some appearances and there are more callers near Christmas, his friends' sense of giving him the family he didn't have growing up.

For now, though, he's happy here, taking advantage of the near emptiness of the rooms. That he's invited two men up here brought a look of surprise to the butler, but the man said nothing. All of the staff are trained to be quiet and discreet, no matter the wards and spells on the building. Harry hadn't thought of bedding his former lover and his friend, but from the looks he's receiving, what he wants might now not be entirely up to him.

Not that he minded. Severus and Lucius are opposites in a complimentary way. It's clear they're close and have been friends for a long time, moving together without getting in the way and their meal habits speak of an intimacy shared between lovers. He caught himself earlier, thinking of being between them in bed, and had to quickly shove the image away lest he embarrass himself at dinner.

"Might I assume, Harry, that you have no lovers at present?" Severus asked, seriously and with intent.

Harry licked his lips. "No, no I don't."

Lucius sat back slowly and let his eyes fall down Harry's body to his private parts. Harry's breath hitched and forced himself to look at Severus, who smirked. "As you know, Lucius is like us. I secured a room this evening for us to use, given the wards, and I wondered--"

"Yes," Harry said quickly. "If that is what you're asking. You may--both of you--have me."

Lucius set down his glass and stood as Severus' eyes darken. Harry let himself be pulled out of his seat by Lucius and willingly to the bed, Lucius in front of him and Severus behind him.

~~~

Innocent. Oh, Harry Potter was wonderful in bed. Enthusiastic, playful, eager, well taught. Anyone would be awed to bed Harry Potter and satisfied in the morning. For all that, though, he was innocent. He blushed prettily but far too often. He wasn't hard or forceful in his conversation, sure though he was of his opinions, thoughts, and ideas. He was soft around the edges, courteous and pleasant and nice. It was refreshing actually. There was something about the world that turned inverts into hard men, Lucius had found. 

Harry Potter was a treasure that Lucius wanted to keep.

"Harry has never taken anyone to his bed or life for long," Severus said quietly from the foot of the bed. He was sipping his morning tea, wearing only a housecoat. He was tempting, as in shape as a dueler, and, as he had yet to bathe, still looked freshly fucked.

Harry stirred on the bed, but he only turned over in his sleep. Lucius took a deep breath and brushed some hair out of Harry's eyes. "I can't imagine why. He's lovely."

Severus snorted. "Lovely though he might be and wonderful as a lover, Harry likes his privacy and quiet."

"Must be why you two get along well," Lucius smirked.

"I admit, his silence when we spend nights together not in bed, well...I do enjoy it," Severus said. "He was quite the find to me. When I found him in town in his seventh year, he was with another boy. Well, I say boy." His tone suggested that it was instead a night walker. At least it was someone who wouldn't tell and who likely knew that best places to get off without the police finding them. Severus sighed. "I took him under my wing. Determined that he would not get caught so early in his life, I introduced him to the club the summer after he finished school. It helped him, I believe, and not just to find a lover now and then."

Lucius frowned. "Seventh year. I had assumed, from your comment about what you called him, that it was in his seventh year that you discovered each other. But it must have been difficult, with the war."

"I treated him badly toward the end of that year," Severus agreed quietly. "It wasn't his fault, nothing he did. It was my own, torn between my duty and my love for him."

"Love?" Lucius sucked in a breath. "But he was only--"

"Seventeen, yes, I know." Severus shook his head. "Why not, though? Our society encourages younger women to find a husband far older than herself and they find love, those couples."

Lucius covered Severus' hand with his own, where it lay on Severus' knee. "I apologize."

Severus wrinkled his nose and shook off Lucius' hand. "He left me, when it became too much. Our arguments grew in the end and I never blamed him for leaving me. It was a comfort, after a fashion. Knowing that I could focus on my duty and knowing that the Dark Lord would never see the two of us in my mind. But it was him as well who approached me that summer. Wanted to make amends. In his mind, he had said awful things as well and he said that if he had known the pressure I was under, he would have treated me differently."

"He's far too forgiving," Lucius mused.

Severus shrugged. "We didn't rekindle our affair until a few years later, but it's never been the way it had been. Our time, our possibility, has passed and we ruined it, us both."

"I don't regret it though," Harry muttered, startling Lucius and Severus both. He huffed at them and shifted on the bed to half curl up in Severus' lap. Severus smiled softly and ran a hand through Harry's hair. Humming in pleasure, Harry smiled. "One cannot wish to go back and fix the past, but we can make amends and move forward."

Lucius felt a stab akin to jealousy, watching them. They were easy with each other, seeking touches and contact knowing that it would be given and returned in kind. But Lucius didn't just want something like it, he wanted...well, he wanted Harry Potter. He sensed that Severus had been trying to tell him something before, but had been diverted and then cautious, almost afraid to share a secret, and now Harry was awake. 

Harry stretched without moving much. "You're near the bell, Lucius. Would you mind calling for breakfast? And I wondered," he looked up through his eyelashes at Severus, "if perhaps you both might join me for a morning walk? There is a wonderful park nearby, Lucius, and I know it's cold, but that means fewer people and more peace."

"I have nothing on," Lucius said. He rang the bell and looked back. "Severus?"

"Not for long, though. I do have an errand to be done in the city and then I must return to Hogwarts by nightfall."

Harry pouted. "So soon?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at Lucius. "Unfortunately. However, if it is company you wish for, Lucius would be a fine substitute."

"I never see you anymore," Harry growled.

Lucius was stung, but he understood. Severus sighed and set aside his cup to pull Harry upright and straddling his lap. "I can be in town after Christmas. Will you have your room prepared for me?"

"Of course I can," Harry answered, his smile evident in his voice. Lucius sat against the headboard and wondered if these two were right, that their time had gone. 

~~~

The morning was chilly as Harry had predicted, but the company made them warm. Harry's love of the area infused both of his companions and he showed off much of it with delight to Lucius who had not been in this park before. It was packed with trees, planned paths winding through out, and the thick foliage was broken up sometimes by patches of garden. Most of them were bare, but Harry assured Lucius that they were beautiful in the summer, full of flowers and herbs. 

"You'll have to visit me in the summer to see them," Harry said, continuing on as if he hadn't issued something that Lucius did not need Severus' look to know it was rare.

"Of course I will," Lucius agreed. "In fact, I'd be delighted."

Harry beamed. Severus caught Lucius' elbow and they fell back far enough to have a small conversation and yet still be able to walk with Harry. "He's never invited men he's intimate with to his rooms."

"Except you," Lucius reminded him.

"I don't count," Severus hissed. "Plenty of people know he and I are good friends. I visit him as a friend at his room and his lover when we go to the club."

Lucius turned that over in his mind. "And perhaps he is inviting me as a friend to his rooms."

Severus stopped them. "No, Lucius. I have known Harry for many years, before and after the war. I am not his closest confidant, but that matters not. I have seen him with others, friends and lovers alike. The invitation he just issued was not for a friend."

Lucius tapped a finger on his cane. "Are you telling me to leave off entirely or to be cautious? I am not entirely sure what your intentions are, my friend. I look at you with him and I see that you yet love him. If I hadn't heard you say it before, I'd suspect you both of being long term lovers who plan to live out their lives together. Harry obviously still loves you in his own way and if that is what you both want--"

"You'll step aside?" Severus interrupted.

Lucius looked away. "You know I would."

Severus took a deep breath. "I am...saying this all wrong. And I suspect Harry and myself are giving you the wrong impression."

"Wrong impression or no, you both could easily fall back into a relationship and have no other lovers for the rest of your lives," Lucius countered.

Severus' hands curled into fists. "You'll have to wait for him to open up to you, but what happened to Harry during the war, it changed him. It hurt me to see him so changed, it was that bad. He wasn't the same boy he had been. All of us change through the years, but before, Harry was brash and bold, crude and arrogant. He could be quiet, he liked his quiet evenings with me, but in the public sphere, nothing held him back. And now, he's retired from public life. If it were not for the club and the push of his friends, he'd live out his days in his family's home in Cornwall. Alone."

Lucius frowned as he studied Severus' face. "You're worried about me."

"I am." Severus paced back, hands inside his sleeves. "Members at the club know Harry, his habits and what he's like outside. They gossip, like most of us do. They'd tell you what I am telling you now, except they'd do it to cut you down. To embitter you toward Harry. They'd word it in such a way that--"

"I am familiar with men of our persuasion, Severus. I know what you're saying."

"It's more than that, Lucius. Many of them want Harry. The few he has been with have been men like us, who don't cut others with their words out of some petty nature. The others, though. They want him, but they know too the limits that Harry has. If they find out that you and he..."

There was a clearing of a throat and Lucius and Severus turned, ashamed as they knew who it would be. Harry's face was hard but forgiving. "I would appreciate it if my lovers would not leave me wanting for company. If you didn't want me to overhear you, you only had to ask for a moment alone."

"Harry," Severus began, but Harry held up his hand.

"No," Harry said. "I know what you're doing and why."

Severus stepped close and cupped Harry's cheek in his hand. "I do it because I care for you."

Harry's face softened as he looked into Severus' eyes and Lucius turned away. "You don't have to protect me forever," Harry whispered. "I am grown man, capable of taking care of myself."

"And your lovers?" Severus asked.

Silence. Lucius turned back and found Harry looking at him now, blushing and wanting and entirely too much. Lucius' heart stuttered and Harry ducked his head. "Well, maybe you can watch out for us both?"

Severus sighed, but it was affectionate and he wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Brat."

"Your brat."

Lucius rolled his eyes and Harry smirked at him, full of promise. "Can we resume our walk now? I haven't yet shown you my favourite part."

He reached out and looped his arm through Lucius', as if they were a courting couple. Lucius hadn't done that since the first few years of his marriage to Narcissa and he's startled to find that he liked having Harry on his arm. It felt childish, of course it did, but nonetheless, Lucius feels something like...pride that he has Harry like this. 

Severus' face was tight with something like a warning, but said nothing else. Lucius realized that he might just owe Severus several favours months down the road. Because if there is one thing Severus has never been, it is being overly dramatic.

It was, after all, how they won the war.

~~~

Severus left them after lunch, taken in a pub that was tucked away and bordered on a disreputable neighbourhood but had food that Lucius knew he would have to go back for. Harry was morose for a bit after that and Lucius felt wanting.

"I'm sorry," Harry said as they walked aimlessly. Lucius knew where they were and was sure that both the club and his own townhouse were not too far for either walking or a hired carriage ride back. He liked rambling like this, not that he would do it too often, but it was a pleasure seeing the city through Harry's eyes.

"Sorry?" he asked after a moment.

Harry half smiled, but it looked defeated. "For being like this. I am closest to Severus, now. My closest friends from school are married and have their own family. I'm godfather to their oldest child and I see them, but Severus and I...we're just close. He knows best what I went through during the war, having had his own version of it. And we’re both private bachelors. He understands the pressures to find a wife while not wanting one."

"You're young yet," Lucius assured him. "There's time still to find a wife."

"I don't want one," Harry growled. 

Lucius was quiet and Harry sighed. "Severus doesn't push for me to go into public often. Oh, he'll tell me to make time for my friends and to see my goddaughter, but he knows I prefer to be alone. It's easier, a bit."

"Some of us prefer it, I know," Lucius mused aloud. "It isn't common, but society can be much for such individuals."

Harry studied him for a long minute after that. "I think I was always like this, preferring the solitude. I liked having friends in school and knowing that there was always someone I could study with or go to Hogsmeade with if I didn't want to go on my own, but there's just something about the quiet I like."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Lucius offered.

"Good," Harry shyly said. 

Lucius felt as though he had passed some sort of test. He wondered if many of Harry's friends and acquaintances had implied otherwise. Harry swallowed hard and kicked a rock in the pathway. "Could I ask you something?"

"Of course, though I do reserve the right to not answer it."

"Fair. You are married, but you are an invert?"

Lucius nodded, hearing the question. "I am and I knew it before I married."

Harry blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Lucius smiled. "I had a duty to my family, Harry. My father forced my hand--I was to either be disinherited and lose access to all the connections and money that my position came with or marry the witch my father had picked out."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Forgive me, but I don't understand. I do, about being disinherited, but surely your marriage was made difficult because you cannot feel for her what a man would otherwise naturally feel for her?"

Lucius tapped his cane on the path, thinking. "I cannot love her as a man might otherwise, you're right. But I never once have thought she was displeased. I ensured that she enjoyed our couplings and have seen to it that she is happy with me. I have always suspected she knew, but one can't ask these things. And there is something about a woman...I do not like women, Harry, but they are soft where men are hard. They bring a lightness to a home that a man cannot. She has been a wonderful mother to Draco and a wonderful mistress for my family's home. She requires little of me and once we had Draco, she did not ask that I couple with her again.

"My marriage has been a blessing in a way that I know others are not, even for men who are like us, Harry. And not only has my marriage been pleasant, Narcissa allows me the freedom to do as I wish so long as I do not break the family coffers and do not bring shame upon our name."

"I see."

"You don't sound as if you do."

Harry was thoughtfully silent for a moment. "I won't say that I don't feel the pressure to find a wife. My friends are constantly asking me when I plan to take a wife and often when I am invited to society events, there is some matron who pushes her daughter toward me. But I don't see how a wife would complete my life. I am not arguing here that I don't at times wish for the company, but it is not a woman's company I want. Aside from that, my life is complete. I need no money, my parents left me enough, and I have investments plenty. I have hired my own household staff, competently, and when I wish for company, there is the club. Or, sometimes, yes, I do go out. I feel complete without a wife."

Lucius shrugged. "So you are complete. I wish that you could tell your friends and why, but such is our society. My way is not the only one. Yours is only another."

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not telling me to marry and be done with it. For understanding."

Lucius longed to take Harry in his arms and kiss him, soothingly. Instead, he could only say, "You're welcome."

~~~

They took dinner again at the club, but this time in Harry's room. Someone had been in to clean and had moved Lucius' things to it. He wondered why Severus had not had them sent over to his townhouse, but he likely had known that Lucius would still be with Harry. The fire cast a warm glow over Harry's features and he wanted to take him on the hearth rug. Or in the chair, Harry's back arching as he pushed back into Lucius' thrusts.

"You're being very visible right now," Harry chuckled as they finished their meal.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then, pray, tell me what it is I want."

Harry blushed and his eyes fell to Lucius' lap where his trousers were tenting against Lucius' member as it was half hard. Unconsciously, Harry licked his lips. "I hope it is the same as I want."

It hadn't been, but it was now. Lucius set aside his brandy and beckoned with a single finger. Harry eagerly left his seat and pushed aside the table. Lucius slid forward in his seat and undid his trousers. Harry batted his hands away and took over, hands sure on Lucius' member. Looking up, his face was half in shadow and the other half reflected the fire, as it had before, but was now magnified in Lucius' eyes. Lucius cupped Harry's cheek, feeling overcome with emotion.

Harry blinked and broke their connection, seemingly overcome as well. Blushing even more, Harry leaned down and wrapped his lips around the tip. Lucius sucked in a breath--so few had done this to him, it felt new every time. But this was Harry who was enjoying himself, moaning around Lucius' member, sucking and running his tongue under and then into the tip. 

"T-touch yourself," Lucius growled, knowing that Harry had to be aching for any touch.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, voice harsh. Lucius' felt a spike of pleasure, visibly hearing the result of the intimacy and Harry squeezed his member in response.

Lucius tugged on Harry's hair. "As you pleasure me, I want to see you pleasure yourself."

Harry's eyes darkened and he undid his pants. Lucius smirked and lifted his hips, urging Harry on. Harry went back to his task with enthusiasm and his hand moved jerkily. Lucius forced himself to not tilt his head back, needing to see this. As he neared his peak, his pushed his foot between Harry's legs and up against his member. Harry groaned and his body shook, but he took the hint and let go of himself to instead rub against Lucius' clothed leg.

It wasn't easy and Harry was almost painfully uncoordinated, but he came with a hot splash against Lucius, moaning and twitching with the aftermath. Lucius grabbed Harry's hair and pushed up, twice, until he spilled himself.

Harry pulled away and leaned against Lucius' knee. He was breathing hard and Lucius sat back. "I wasn't too much, was I?"

Harry grinned up at him. "That was wonderful."

Lucius smiled. "Good. Bed?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

"Mm, soon, yes," Lucius promised, lifting Harry up and kissing him. He sucked on Harry's tongue, drinking in their combined essence as it lingered there. "Very soon, I think."

Harry whimpered, but was the one who led Lucius to the bed this time.

~~~

The early morning light was filtering in through the curtains and the fire had died out an hour ago. But it could've been midnight under the blankets, where they had only finished coupling an hour ago, for the third time. Harry lay with his head on Lucius' chest and Lucius was half leaning against the headboard. The last time they coupled, it had been soft and face to face, uncomfortably intimate for two men who had only just met. But there was something about Harry, Lucius decided, holding Harry tighter. 

There was only one man he had ever been this close to and Severus had always held himself back that little bit, the same as Lucius had. The fear of discovery was always too great. Harry, however, inspired Lucius to not be so afraid. He didn't know what it was, but he knew that he wanted to keep seeing the other man. He would work out the hows later.

"Can I write to you?" Harry asked quietly.

Lucius breathed deep. "Of course you can."

Harry turned and kissed Lucius' chest. "Good. And I want to see you again. I meant it when I said you can visit me in the spring when the park begins to bloom, but sooner than that. Maybe here."

"I'd like that."

"As friends?"

Lucius squeezed Harry's shoulder. "As lovers."

He didn't have to see Harry to know he was smiling.

~~~

_Lord Malfoy,_

_When I asked if I could write to you, well, I only thought of keeping in touch. Now, though, I wonder what to write to you about. It seems silly to write about my days or the thoughts I have. Neither of us are romantics, I think, and to write the things lovers write about doesn't suit us._

_I do, however, want you to know that I think of you and often. I remember our two nights, but especially the night when it was just us. How you let me know what you wanted--I have never had a lover who was so honest about his wants and needs. How you held me, during and then after. You made me feel cherished, treasured, loved. I remember feeling open, but safe. I could be open with you and you would take care of that vulnerability._

_I apologize. I didn't want to write like a lover, but I have. I hope that no one reads this missive. I would not send it, but I have to now. Because I want you to know what I feel. I don't want to hide it, you understand._

_And with you, I don't have to._

_Lord Potter_

~~~

_Harry,_

_I suppose we best hope that no one finds our letters then. I took out a sheet of parchment to write to you and found that I could not use your title. It isn't so much that we have coupled, but it is because of that last morning. That breakfast we took in bed, making plans for when we next see each other with the curtains only partially drawn. The way you effortlessly worked around my unshakable eating habits. The easy way you poured us both tea without asking._

_How have you undone me so easily, Harry Potter? I ask myself this many times and now my wife wonders as I get lost in thought so often. She is not jealous, I have discovered. I suspect that while our marriage is easy, like myself she has found her own lover. I do not begrudge her this. While other men might forbid their wives affairs, I do not mind. It is unspoken between us, but we have in our way agreed that with discretion, we can have our lovers on the side. I think she suspected about Severus, but always welcomed him into our home and was gracious to him._

_She has told me that you--or rather, the lover on my mind--is welcome, as well. I think you would like her, Harry._

_I want you here, with me. At least once. I want you in my bed, on my sheets. They're dark blue and your blush would complement them quite well. And I want to make you blush the deepest red, Harry. Not in that easy way you have, but with passion. After I have made you spill thrice and am pushing for a fourth. In the early hours after we have kissed for long hours and you can only remember my name, not yours._

_November cannot come soon enough, Harry. A week and yet it will pass so slowly. We may have to meet in private before we greet each other in public--I do not think I can hold myself back when I next see you._

_Lucius_

~~~

_Harry,_

_I opened my newspaper this morning and find that you were seen at the Opera with none other than Lucius Malfoy himself._

_Harry, regardless of what he did in the war for our side, he was still a Death Eater for most of the Wars. Do you understand what that means? The Death Eaters killed your parents! And now you're in public with him? Giggling, from what I have heard third hand from the shop girl. If you lack company, you know that Ron can be spared here? Simply ask and he'll be there for you._

_Write me back soon,_

_Hermione_

~~~

_Lucius,_

_I am being called to my family's home in Cornwall for some business there. I suspect I'll be there through the beginning of December. Can you visit? It is lonely there and I would appreciate the company._

_Harry_

~~~

_Hermione,_

_I understand your concern, but if you had been with me at the end, if you had seen what I had...he may not be an angel, but he was and is regretful of his actions. And he mended them at the end. He paid his dues and then some._

_Thank you for your concern, but it is misplaced. I do not lack for company in town, but if you are that worried, I will be at home for a few weeks. Bring the children if you'd like, though I suppose I should warn you that my new friend will likely be visiting as well._

_Harry_

~~~

_Harry,_

_I am not worried about your company in the country, though now I do wonder. London, while lovely, is not the best place as is well known. It is full of temptation and don't think I have questions about that club of yours. I do still find it suspicious that Ron cannot join--it is a wizarding club and is considered one of the finest. As Ron was awarded an Order of Merlin, Second Class and has shown himself to a great servant of the public service, I fail to understand why any club would deny him._

_Harry, I only think of your future family. I know you don’t want to hear it, but the fact remains. You know I don't like the social structures women are forced into, but you are not the savage some men can be for women. You would make an excellent husband for a good woman and would not stifle her or abuse her or ignore her for a mistress. More than that, marriage can be good and I think you would benefit from having a wife. She need not be chatty or intrusive. I know of a few women who prefer the quiet as you do--might you visit for dinner some night to at least meet one?_

_We can visit for a few days, but let me know when Lord Malfoy will be visiting so we may avoid him. You may keep him company if you'd like, but as our children are half-bloods with a Muggle-born mother, I do not want them to meet a man who would sooner spit on them._

_Hermione_

~~~

_Harry,_

_I believe I could find a few days to visit. Would the second week in November suit? Write me back and I will begin to make plans. Will you tell me what your bedroom looks like? Or are there some quiet corners I could have you in?_

_My wife sends a message as well, concerning Christmas. We both have friends who find themselves at loose ends for Christmas--Severus visits if he is not on duty at Hogwarts. While I am sure you spend it with your goddaughter and you might not be able to excuse yourself from the celebrations because I am your male lover, you are invited to spend it at my home. It will be house party of sorts--you'll know Severus, and Draco. His wife was a few years below you, but you might remember her--Astoria Greengrass? And their young son. Lady Parkinson, from Draco's year. Lord Goyle, senior, a friend of my wife._

_I'll understand if you decline, but Narcissa might be upset. She's asked after you; what shall I tell her?_

_I miss you, Harry. I think of that moment we stole in the carriage back from the Opera where you boldly laid your head on my shoulder and dozed a bit. You entangled our fingers and sighed, a happy sound. You seemed to me to be content. I like knowing that I have made you content. I want to do so more often._

_My appeal for membership has been approved at the club. I will let you know when I am in town and staying there so that we might avoid our neighbours or staff wagging their tongues. Much as I like being seen with you, discretion is the better part of valour, I believe. Not that I would deny you, but I'd rather have you in secret for a long time than risk our deaths._

_I think I've overshown myself here, but I do so knowing that you will not make me a fool and will return the sentiment._

_Write soon or I will be in a state from the anticipation of when we next see each other._

_Lucius_

~~~

_Hermione,_

_My dark wizard friend will be visiting the second week of November. Plan around that._

_Harry_

~~~

Lucius arrived at Harry's family home in the rain, but the staff had an umbrella ready for him. He thanked the boy for it and entered the home. It wasn't as grand as Malfoy Manor, but it was well enough. Warm and well lit despite the storm, it bore the hallmarks of a family that had lived there for many years. The Potters, Lucius knew, stretched as far back as the Malfoys, but did not truly rise up until the Crusades when they helped the British Wizards secure safe passage to and from the front. Clever wizards they were and having helped, the crown had given them land and money and they'd invested wisely.

It still showed through, those clever Potters.

The butler cleared his throat. "Sir, I know the staff should never let on more than they know, but I believe you need to know that Mrs. Weasley is still residing here with her children and is not pleased with your presence."

Lucius paused in removing his cloak. "Before I settle in then, perhaps you can send a message to Lord Potter? Let him know that I have arrived, but can repair to the local inn to stay there until his guests are not at odds?"

The butler looked relieved and nodded his head. He left Lucius there in the entry way for a room beyond the stairs. Moments later, Lucius heard something like a shriek, though he couldn't be sure. Lucius sighed and turned away. He beckoned the boy who had the umbrella and left the house.

"The local inn, driver," he said as he re-entered the carriage.

"Sir," the man nodded.

Lucius did not look back, though he wished he could have stayed if only to be there to support Harry.

~~~

It was nearing the evening meal when a woman entered the salon of the inn. Lucius took in her appearance--cloth that was good but not excellent, hair pulled into a severe bun and yet remaining frazzled, and the pinched look of someone who had to apologize for something she didn't think was her fault. He took her for Mrs. Weasley, Harry's friend, and as she approached, he set aside his book.

"Shall I ring for tea?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "We've not been formally introduced."

He raised both of his eyebrows. "I seem to recall you from the last battle of the war and I know you well enough through Harry, though I've not seen you since Hogwarts."

She huffed and sat in the chair opposite his own, removing her hat. "I am sure Harry has been less than kind about me, especially recently."

Lucius tapped his fingers thoughtfully on his knee. "Mrs. Weasley, if I did not respect you and did not respect the friendship you and Harry share, I would not be staying here."

She looked down, gathering her thoughts. "If it were not for the weather and the fact that the northbound roads are too wet to travel on, I'd have been gone already."

He nodded. "I know that our weeks visiting were not to overlap. If I had known you were still here, I'd have not come."

"Would you really have?" she pressed, eyes narrowing. "Forgive me. Harry has not made new friends in some time and certainly no one visits him at his family home."

He tilted his head, wondering about her. She surely couldn't know, but that would explain what she was hinting at. Or maybe she meant something else? He sat back. "Mrs. Weasley, I must ask what you mean. Please, be straight forward so that I know exactly what you are trying to do."

"I know Professor Snape introduced Harry to you," she began. "And Harry enjoyed your company so you struck up a friendship. And now you are business partners. Harry refuses to go into details, but it has..." She blushed and when she didn't acknowledge that Harry had used the return to begin an account that would fund her children's education at Hogwarts, neither did Lucius. She cleared her throat. "And he now tells me that your wife has invited him for a house party that she hosts for Christmas and he is torn between spending it there or with the family he made at Hogwarts."

"I did not mean for him to be torn," he admitted. "My wife and I, our friends are often without families. We know Harry has made one of his own and we wanted him to know that he has added to it. It isn't a crime to have many places to be for Christmas. It should, in fact, be a good thing."

"It is," she agreed. "Truly. I just wonder what you hope to gain by this."

Ah. Finally. Wood crackled in the fireplace as the silence stretched on. "You think I am using Harry to help my family's standing in society."

Her face twisted. "Or perhaps money. I have heard rumours that Draco overspends nearly every month and his wife is no better."

It was due to the fact that neither of their parents gave them much of an allowance. Draco was well employed and should not need more to not only keep his family clothed and fed and in a warm house, but in the circles he was used to. Yet Draco and Astoria were used to not having to run out of money. Lucius with his wife and in-laws had decided that until their children learned to live within their means--so as to continue to have a fortune to pass along to future children--or their parents died, Draco and Astoria would only have enough for a little extra. 

But that was neither here nor there. Mrs. Weasley implied that there were rumours that the family coffers were running dry and Lucius would use Harry to gain more gold to fill them. He could only imagine what other things she would have imagined.

"Is there nothing I can say that would reassure you?" he asked finally.

She frowned, caught off guard. He inwardly smirked. She swallowed hard. "I...no, I don't believe there is."

"Well, then," he said. "Perhaps we can learn to share Harry's time? And I will not be around your family to put your mind at ease."

She sighed. "As Harry does not seem to want to end his relationship with you, I suppose that is all I ask. Though I would like you to know that my husband is not above using what he has learned to good use protecting Harry."

He nodded in acknowledgement and with a stiff nod, she left him with his thoughts.

~~~

"I have to leave for my room soon," Harry muttered, sad.

Lucius bit his tongue, willing himself to not say something too sentimental. So much for his week alone with Harry. He suspected that after his discussion with Mrs. Weasley, he could have had time alone with Harry, but the roads had remained untravelled and so Harry had come to the inn with the papers he had had prepared. They had talked business for a while, even signed some paperwork, but it had quickly dissolved into coupling. At least they had an excuse ready, that their business had taken longer than thought. 

Hopefully anyone who heard Harry sneaking back to his own room would only think someone had been with one of the staff.

"Hermione told me that you've agreed to share me," Harry continued. "As if I were a toy."

"It was all I could do," Lucius told him. "She thinks I am up to something nefarious that will hurt you. Nothing I could say or do will assure her. Except perhaps time. As you refuse to end our association, I've agreed to only visit you when you are not with her and her family."

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry."

"She only wants you to be safe," Lucius soothed. "Don't apologize for that. Not many of us get that."

Harry shifted, looking up at him. "I am spending Christmas with you. You told her that you consider me family and she at least thought that nice of you. She still thinks ill of you, but she understands that I am a man who values familial connections. I think she probably expects me to realize that all of your friends are not the sort one should associate with while I am visiting, but in time, I think she'll understand."

Lucius was quiet. He wondered how often they would be able to get away with it, hiding their relationship behind a deep friendship. Would it hurt them, in the end? He squeezed Harry's hand and hoped for the best.

"It might be our last Christmas together," Lucius said quietly.

Harry took a deep shuddering breath and nodded. "I know. I just want this one, though. We can have this one, at least."

Lucius kissed the top of his head.

~~~

_Mate,_

_We need to talk. Will you still be at your family home for December? Let me know immediately._

_Ron_

~~~

_Ron,_

_Are the kids alright? Hermione? Your parents? I plan to stay until the 17th. After that, I'll be at Malfoy Manor._

_Harry_

~~~

_Everyone's fine. I just...I'll be there on the 10th._

_Ron_

~~~

Harry looked up from his mail when his butler cleared his throat. He smiled. "Bring tea and then we'd like privacy, please."

The butler bowed and closed the door as he left. Ron swallowed hard and didn't sit down, as he usually did. Harry sat back in his chair. "You said everyone was okay. So?"

Ron sighed and sat down. His leg bounced up and down, nervously. "Harry, I...Seamus was up for a visit and when we were talking, he let slip that your club--well, he couldn't say it because of the spells, but he got the point across. About who is a member."

Harry blushed furiously and looked away. "I suppose I should expect a police contingency soon?"

Ron scrubbed his face and groaned. "No, never, Harry. Hermione--she overheard, sorry. She and I know that that means nothing, not for you. Not perhaps for a few others. But one does know that...inversion can lead to a twisted nature. She seems to think that Professor Snape introduced you to the club and thinks that that is where you became reacquainted with Lord Malfoy. She thinks that it's only proof that Lord Malfoy is up to no good, concerning you.

"She wanted to come here immediately. She said she had to explain to you that men of that sort are no good."

Harry growled. "And I suppose urge me to reconsider my decision to visit Malfoy Manor during Christmas so I might visit with you instead and be introduced to the sort of woman who would convince me the right way of life."

Ron's silence was telling. Harry braced himself for what he had to do. "You may tell Hermione that I am not...like that with Lord Malfoy. At this point, I don't believe I can convince either of you that I am not an invert, but know that I am not in a relationship with any such person. I can also assure you that Professor Snape was not the man who introduced me to the club and that I have never seen him there. He is, however, the man who reintroduced Lord Malfoy and myself and that our relationship is more business than friendship, though I'll not deny that our friendship is good for me. Hence, why I am spending Christmas there this year."

The breath that Ron let out was deep and sounded like relief. "Good. Good. I came down to spare you and I'll be sure to pass along your words to Hermione."

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

Ron smiled back and that was that.

~~~

Lucius finished his morning ablutions and left, passing the second floor salon for the breakfast room downstairs in the club. As he did so, however, he heard Harry's name.

"--his membership wouldn't have been approved," one man said.

"Quite right," a second agreed. "Potter does say he's changed. I see it, but only in passing. One can't fully trust snakes after all."

"A leopard doesn't change his spots, eh?" the first offered. "I do pity Potter, however. To have been seduced by such a snake. I'd be afraid he would bite my cock off and use it in some dark potion."

Lucius' fingernails bit into his palm and he willed himself to stay calm to avoid alerting these men to his presence. Severus had warned him, but he had no idea they would go to such lengths and with him in possible hearing distance. Or perhaps that was the point. That he was eavesdropping he knew proved their point that he was an evil wizard, but they need not know.

"Potter needs a defender, I'll grant him that," the first continued. "After all, he's taken up with Malfoy. Snape, well, he's a fine chap in the end, but it looks like he's failed in his duties. I had thought they would be together for a long while, but apparently not."

"If Potter had taken me up on my offer, I'd have made sure he wouldn't be with either man," a third man chimed in. "He's too innocent by half and needs someone who would curse any of the same ilk as Malfoy and Snape who approached him."

"Potter is a grown man," a fourth bit out. "Leave him be."

There was chuckling and the first joked, "I forgot. You've been with him, haven't you, Willowby?"

"That's not--I am only saying that Potter is the same age as two of you and if you profess that you can take care of an innocent, than surely Harry can do the same," Willowby defended hotly. Lucius made note to make the man's public acquaintance.

Someone scoffed. "If Potter could take care of himself, he wouldn't have been taken in by Dumbledore," the second man pointed out.

"When he was a boy," the third pointed out. "Not much of a point there. One can learn."

"Exactly!" Willowby crowed.

"Enough," the second sighed. "We must merely wait until Malfoy tires of Potter or hurts him. Then we offer our condolences and be there in his hour of need."

More chuckling. Someone was leaving with a loud scrape of a chair and Lucius swore, knowing he'd be caught. He hoped it would not be any of the first men. His muscles froze as the man stormed out and nearly ran into him. They stared at each other for only a moment before the man beckoned him to follow.

Lucius could think of nothing except that this might get back to Harry. What would Harry think?

"There is nothing really inherently wrong in listening in on what was a public conversation," the other argued as they found a quiet corner in the breakfast room.

"I heard Harry's name," Lucius pointed out.

The man nodded. "He's a favourite conversation topic around here. Well liked, but much sought after."

"He does draw the eye," Lucius agreed.

"Willowby," the man offered, holding out his hand.

Lucius shook it. "Malfoy."

Willowby nodded and ordered breakfast for two. He studied the grains of the table for a moment. "Harry has a weakness I believe for men who are cast off by society in some way. I don't mean so much the inversion, but people who made a wrong decision or were caught in the wrong moment or...I was introduced to Harry through his friend, Ronald Weasley. I used to work for the Ministry, but there was an accident, a curse, on one of our raids. You know Severus. And there was one other. I can't say much, but I can say that he had been accused of being a Death Eater simply because of his family. I know no more than that."

Lucius was beginning to see the pattern. "Harry was hurt in the war."

Willowby nodded. "I believe that is why Harry seeks the men he does. Or, rather, falls in with them. He doesn't do it on purpose. He might see something in us that matches his own nature."

"I might be the worst one for him, though," Lucius admitted quietly. It was something that had been on his mind ever since he had met with Mrs. Weasley, but it was another to say it aloud. 

Willowby shrugged. "Harry has no need of social standing, his family money being more than enough to sustain him. He can will it to his goddaughter upon his death if he wishes, but there is only himself to worry about. He won't marry, ever. You and I both know that. So long as he is discreet about his proclivities as to avoid a hanging, he could lose all his social standing and his membership here for one thing or another and be well off still."

"You mean to say that Harry could keep me and be well," Lucius sussed out.

Willowby inclined his head. "I'd keep that in mind if I were you."

Lucius did take some comfort from that.

~~~

Harry found himself alone with Severus on the second day of the house party. It was a little overwhelming, but not by much. The house was large enough that if Harry needed space, he could find it. And of course there were back passageways from the times when the family kept human staff (though not at present, preferring for now house elves) which enabled Harry to go to Lucius' room at night. Or for Lucius to visit his room. Both of them preferred Lucius' room, however, as the bed was bigger.

Severus set aside his book and locked the door to the room. It was a small room, made for families to visit with each other. A single bookshelf and sofa were the room's only features apart from the fireplace and Harry eagerly curled up to Severus. He thought of what Lucius would say, but Harry and Severus had always been like this, even when they weren't coupling. Harry wouldn't give up this comfort for anything. At one point, it had been all that kept him sane.

"How have you been?" Severus asked.

"Well," Harry answered truthfully after a thoughtful few seconds. He surprised himself with his answer, given all that had recently happened, but it was true nonetheless. He was happy, if he was honest. Lucius, he thought, was good for him.

"I'm glad," Severus said.

Harry tilted his head up. "Really?"

Severus sighed. "Harry, I've only ever wanted you to be happy and well cared for. I wanted to give that to you and I imagined that we could have had it, at one point. And I did not realize when I introduced you to Lucius that he would make you so. I find, though, that he has given me what I wanted for you. I'm very pleased."

Harry kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"No thanks are necessary, Harry," Severus whispered. "It's what you do when you care for someone."

Harry nodded, knowing that everything that had happened recently had been because the people in his life cared for him albeit in their own way and to the best of their abilities. It was a good feeling. He smiled and felt the tension seep out of his bones. He finally relaxed.

"There we are," Severus whispered. "I had wondered if you would ever fully enjoy yourself."

Harry frowned. "Sorry?"

"You've been tense," Severus explained. "I am unsure of what I just said that helped, but you're now completely at ease here."

"I just realized that no matter how they upset me, the people in my life do it, not out of malice, but because they care for me. It's nice."

Severus smiled. They both froze when the lock clicked and the door opened. Lucius looked around the edge of it, face pinched tight. He let out a breath and entered the room, relocking it. "I had wondered where you two had gone."

Harry raised his eyebrow. "It could have been another guest seeking privacy."

Lucius shrugged, looking shame faced. Severus sighed and rolled his eyes. "Lucius just left the game of charades that Narcissa is hosting. He knew where everyone was, except us."

Harry smirked. "Oh. So, he thought you and I were--"

"Enough," Lucius growled out.

Severus chuckled and stood. "Harry, I believe it's time I left for the party game being held at present. We'll catch up later. Lucius."

Lucius watched him leave and then seal the room further than a simple lock. Harry patted the seat next to him and grinned when Lucius took the invitation. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just wonder about you and Severus."

Harry laced their fingers together. "No worries. I'll admit, if I am without a partner, he and I settle back into our old relationship. However, I am engaged at present and look to be in the future."

Lucius' hand tightened around Harry's. "Harry, it will never be easy for us. We'll not retire to a private life--I am married and while I could possibly outlive Narcissa, leave the Manor to Draco...wizards and witches are longed lived."

Harry smiled. "Then we will have to make the most of our time together, won't we? Perhaps you will outlive her and you can come live with me in my family home. It'll be grand, us together. Severus might be there, I'll admit, as I promised him a home when he retires, but there are many rooms for us to have privacy in."

Lucius studied Harry's face for a long while. Harry began to feel uncomfortable when Lucius cleared his throat. "I met one of your former lovers, Willowby. He said that you have never had a long term lover, no more than a few months. He also said you never spoke of the future with them."

Harry blushed. "I suppose that's true."

Lucius slowly smiled and pulled Harry into his lap. "You are a treasure, Harry Potter. I knew it from the first night we spent together. To know that I am blessed to be part of your plans for the future is more than I could have hoped for. I pray that I am worthy of you."

Harry tilted his head. "I say you're worthy. Is that enough?"

"More than," Lucius agreed and pulled Harry down for a kiss that felt like warmth and contentment and hope and all their possibilities. It was a good feeling.


End file.
